It is well known that oftentimes a young child will become attached to a small, personal object as a means of coping with stress. Such a “security” item, which will typically be in the form of a favorite doll or a blanket, can actually provide substantial psychological and physiological benefits, especially when the child is out of the presence of a parent. For example, studies have found that if a child undergoes medical treatment without parents present, the child will be much calmer and more cooperative, and will actually have a reduced heart rate and blood pressure level, if the child has a security blanket or other item in his or her possession during the exam or treatment.
Typically, the chosen security blanket or item will be something with which the child is familiar and uses or plays with every day. Frequently, it will be a crib blanket or baby blanket also used for bedding during nap time or during the night. Although such blankets are functional, both as bedding and as security objects, they are typically disadvantageous for several reasons. The first of these is that the security blankets might not be conveniently portable. Because of the child's affection for the security blanket, it is usually taken along with the child wherever he or she goes. If the particular security blanket is relatively large, this may pose a problem for parents and the child, and the blanket may be dragged along the ground (thus getting dirty), or it may knock things over in stores. Another drawback to traditional blankets is that they may be less than ideally sturdy or appropriate for frequent use. For example, even if a hand-knit baby blanket given as a gift from a grandparent is occasionally used as bedding, parents may want to ensure it survives as a keepsake and is not “loved to death” as a security blanket.
Additionally, traditional blankets offer no other benefits besides being usable as blankets and as security items. Thus, in many situations (eg., if a child has to wait for a parent to do something or is traveling in a car), toys or other distractions may need to be given to the child in addition to ensuring the child has his or her security blanket. This may not always be convenient or possible. Finally, traditional blankets do not provide much, if any, sensory stimulation (either active or passive) for furthering a child's development.
More specifically, most blankets that are available today typically consist of one sheet of plain colored fabric, which at most may have a satin border around the perimeter of the blanket. Likewise, pillows that are available to children are either typical, plain sleeping pillows, or they have characters (cartoon/film characters) thereon which also do not provide any soothing activity at rest time.
Of course, a multitude of products are available for providing developmental stimulation for babies and young children. These include mobiles, wall hangings, toys, and stuffed animals. An example of the latter is a currently available product called a Taggly™, which is a stuffed animal which has multiple tabs attached to its head. The tabs on this toy crinkle, squeak, and have a velvet feel, but the Taggly™ is a toy, not a blanket or pillow, and cannot be used as such. Plus, it is typically not the type of object that is most frequently chosen by children as a security object.
Several blankets have been proposed over the years for providing various types of stimulation for young children. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,285 to Troncone et al. discloses a dual-layer blanket comprising two sheets of different fabrics connected only about their common peripheries, so that the interior areas of the sheets can slide over one another. This sliding effect, with appropriately chosen fabrics, simulates the tactile response of the amnion lining and amniotic fluid experienced by a fetus in utero. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,565 to Metcalf (“Metcalf”) relates to a standard blanket that is provided with a plurality of “attractors,” which are differently-patterned patches sewn onto the center area of the blanket. The attractors are attached to the blanket only via no more than two edges, so that they can be slightly lifted off the surface of the blanket. Although the attractors may provide some degree of stimulation via their different patterns, the design in Metcalf is disadvantageous in that the attractors cannot be very securely sewn onto the body of the blanket, making the blanket less than ideal for use with small children. More specifically, it is generally difficult to provide a secure stitching connection to the center of a fabric sheet, and it is nearly impossible to do so without leaving the stitching partially exposed. Furthermore, having a number of patches all over the surface of the blanket renders it less comfortable for use as a blanket.
Other blankets on the market contain actual toys or stuffed animals affixed to the blanket, which makes the blanket bulky and therefore not very “snuggly” or compact. One such blanket is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,208,934 to Bachnick et al. Another, commonly available security blanket, is called a Lovie™. This product is a stuffed animal head which has a plain blanket with a satin bottom edge attached to it. The animal head can act as a toy, but has no other developmental, stimulation or interaction features. As such, its appeal and usefulness are limited.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an interactive security blanket or pillow that is easily portable, that is sturdy, that still serves as a functional blanket or pillow, and that includes advantageously “low-tech” features with which a child can interact so as to receive sensory and developmental stimulation.